The Right Thing to Do
by Imhilien
Summary: *Season 4 spoilers* Post-Season 3 AU. It's Dan instead who's the first to discover the truth about Lucifer and plots with a visiting Father Kinley to banish him permanently to Hell. Struggling with the truth, will Chloe rescue her partner in time or choose to look the other way?


Disclaimer: I don't own anything from the Lucifer TV show. No copyright infringement is intended; I am only borrowing these characters.

In this AU for Whumptober, Marcus Pierce was arrested instead of being killed in the S3 finale thanks to backup turning up at the right moment. Chloe never saw the devil face or left LA but is trying to concentrate on work in the meantime. However, the threat of Father Kinley still exists (no prophecy, though).

Prompts used for Whumptober 2019: #6 Dragged Away, #7 Isolation, #9 Shackled, #10 Unconscious, #14 Tear-stained, #17 'Stay with me', #20 Trembling, #21 Laced drink and #25 Humiliation.

It was a busy day at the LAPD for Detective Dan Espinoza and the rest of his team. Ever since the death of Charlotte and the arrest not long after of Marcus Pierce for her murder and that of others… well, it's good for Dan to be busy. A suspect had been brought in by Lucifer Morningstar, Civilian Consultant and Detective Chloe Decker, Dan's ex-wife. Dan thought they made an odd pairing, with Lucifer the weird, smart-ass extrovert in his Armani, Chloe the brisk professional in her blazer and trousers.

Still, even Dan had to admit they were both great at solving cases, making their department look good to their superiors at the end of the day. He can see that Chloe is often visibly annoyed with Lucifer and his patented BS, but there's often a soft look in her blue eyes when she looks at her partner, a reluctant smile tugging at her lips.

The suspect was charged with the killing of an elderly, wealthy relative and Lucifer as well as Chloe were currently interrogating him. However, Lucifer had had time first to help himself to Dan's pudding in the staff room, even though Dan had tried to hide said pudding this time. Lucifer had the gall to look innocent although a crumb was on his chin.

You'll pay for that one day, man, Dan told himself half-heartedly, knowing that Lucifer would somehow get away with it again.

One thing that Lucifer excelled in was interrogation. If the suspect was truly guilty, they often confessed within a short time of being questioned by both Lucifer and Chloe. The confession would come in a shorter time if only Lucifer was involved. The suspect would often be white or shaking afterwards, even if there wasn't a mark on them.

Chloe left the interrogation room at one point, leaving the suspect alone with Lucifer. After a few minutes, Dan hears a muffled scream from within. Now, he's a hardened cop and he's heard worse. Perhaps it's perverse curiosity. Perhaps it's resentment of the pudding theft. But he wants to see now how Lucifer gets his results.

Dan quietly opens the door to a currently empty room that has a one-way mirrored wall… and sees something horrifying in the interrogation room on the mirrors other side. Lucifer with glowing red eyes, looming over the cowering suspect like something from a horror movie.

Dan freezes in shock. It's all true – Lucifer Morningstar has that name because he really is the Devil. He gulps but backs carefully and quietly out of the room without notice.

Dan's not sure how he holds it together the rest of the day. Pretending everything is normal. All the while feeling horrified that the actual Devil has been working at the LAPD for the last few years, no doubt for his own twisted reasons. Working with Chloe, Dan's ex-wife. Being in the presence of Trixie even… his precious little daughter!

The horror of that particular thought is what galvanises him to seek out a church for help. A Catholic one; they'll know what to do. He's seen the movies. There has to be a way to send Lucifer back to Hell for good.

A small voice whispers to him that if Lucifer really was pure evil, then he wouldn't be wasting time running a nightclub and acting like a dork half the time at work. Dan ignores the voice; he's not going to change his mind. Chloe will even thank him afterwards, he knows it.

By lucky chance, a Catholic church not that far away had been reporting some petty vandalism on their property recently, so no one blinks an eyelid when he offers to go and investigate. It's the perfect cover.

When Dan reaches the church and introduces himself to the priest, an African-American by the name of Father Saxon, he takes down the details of the vandalism, takes an interest. Promises to follow up on any leads.

When Father Saxon thanks him with a look of relief, Dan takes the chance to ask to speak with him privately for a moment.

The priest nods and shows him into a small office cluttered with books and papers.

"I have a co-worker at the LAPD, goes by the name of Lucifer Morningstar. Calls himself the actual Devil. We all thought he was joking and as he helped put bad guys behind bars, we looked the other way."

"Go on, my son," the priest says gently.

Dan continued.

"Lucifer is good at interrogating suspects, maybe a bit too good. When he thought he was alone with one the other day, I saw… well, I saw his face with these horrible, glowing red eyes, like they were on fire. It was something he could turn on and off."

Father Saxon looked at him gravely. "This is a serious accusation you are making, my son. Word has reached us even here that Mr Morningstar is a man of wealth and influence, a business owner."

"I know what I saw," Dan insisted. He rubbed his chin in agitation.

"Lucifer works with my ex, Detective Chloe Decker. He's friends with her, friendly with our little daughter, Trixie, too. I want to keep my daughter safe from him! I need help that the police can't give."

His voice had risen and Dan stopped talking, feeling upset for a moment.

Father Saxon frowned and then sighed.

"I can see that this is weighing heavily on your mind. As it happens, we currently have a visitor from Rome whose speciality… well, he would be interested in hearing your story. Perhaps he can help with your situation. If this is all true, well, if you leave your contact details with me, I'll see if I can arrange for you to meet him. Evil comes in many forms and we must always be vigilant."

Dan felt like a weight has been lifted slightly from his shoulders.

"Yes, I'd like that," he said with some relief. "Thank you."

Dan gives his details to the priest and leaves the church with a spring in his step. He's taking steps to protect his daughter. It's what a father would do.

Dan goes back to work and acts normal. Doesn't even blink an eyelid when he sees Lucifer sitting besides Chloe at her desk as they both work on a case, his dark hair a contrast to her golden hair pulled back in a ponytail.

Lucifer is going to get what's coming to him, Dan thought with satisfaction.

The next day, Dan gets a text on his personal phone from Father Saxon, with a date and time for a meeting later that afternoon. Dan has to go out and follow a lead for another case, so he's able to kill two birds with one stone.

When he goes to the church, Father Saxon introduces him to Father Kinley, an older priest with a grey beard and sharp eyes that focus intently upon Dan.

Once in the privacy of the office, Father Kinley listens without interruption as Dan explains his story again and then nods grimly.

"You've done well to come here, my son. I've been keeping track of Lucifer Morningstar for a while now… the devil walks the earth, causing chaos and destruction. He leaves a trail of victims with minds shattered, pathetic wrecks only good for keeping under lock and key."

Dan nodded with a shiver, remembering the scream of the man in the interrogation room. Other cases, other white-faced suspects who had been alone with Lucifer.

Father Kinley went on. "Lucifer has stayed on earth this time longer than usual and now I can see why… he mocks the laws of this land by working at the LAPD and now seeks to ensnare an upstanding detective, your ex-wife Chloe Decker."

"Yes, she sometimes has him around for meals. My daughter Trixie thinks he's great. My daughter… I'm scared for her, Father," Dan said in a low voice.

Father Kinley nodded kindly. "All will be well and the innocent shall be safe from harm. Surely the good Lord has let our paths cross for us to deliver mankind from its greatest evil."

From a brown leather bag beside him he brought out a small plastic bag that contained a glass vial full of a dark looking liquid.

"Detective Espinoza, your task is simple. You are a colleague of Lucifer, yes? He trusts you?"

Dan shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."

"Find a way for you both to be away from the office and slip him this in a drink. Alert me – I'll give you my number - and then I will take care of the rest."

Dan eyed the vial and then hesitated. Something about this made him feel uneasy, which was stupid, right?

But he shook his head anyway.

"I'd rather use a strong sleeping pill instead, something quick and easy to pop in a drink. Then I'll alert you and he's all yours, you can give him whatever then," Dan said decisively.

Father Kinley's mouth thinned in displeasure and then he sighed. "This changes things, but very well. I can see though you are a man of conviction, one who will not be diverted from the path."

Dan's mouth was set in a grim line.

"To protect my daughter, I'd go to hell myself. Sending someone else instead will be better."

Father Kinley smiled.

"Being vigilant is always being prepared," he remarked as he stowed the glass vial away in the leather bag and brought out instead a tiny plastic container that rattled with the single pill contained inside.

"Strong enough to bring down the devil himself," Father Kinley said decisively as he handed the container over to Dan. "A payment of course, will be made to you upon your delivery of Mr Morningstar. Let me know your bank account – a discreet one of course – and it shall be done."

Dan blinked. "I'm not doing it for money," he said honestly. It was the truth.

Father Kinley smiled genially. "Then think of it as something to spend on consoling your ex-wife or daughter in the time to come. It's a terrible thing, when your work partner leaves suddenly, because of urgent business elsewhere. But these nightclub owners, so fickle!"

A slow smile spread across Dan's face. "Fickle, yes, you're right, Father. I'll be in touch as soon as I can."

He leaves in a good mood, already making a plan in his mind.

Two days later, a case comes along that might be the right opportunity. Someone is suspected of bringing narcotics into the country hidden inside luxury cars. Will the bait of drugs and cars be enough to tempt Lucifer into helping him?

It does; Lucifer lights up like a Christmas tree at the thought of assisting him with this case.

"Detective Douche, now this is nice; a case that will go with my Armani," Lucifer said cheerfully. "You don't own Armani, of course, but never mind, I'll look good for both of us."

Lucifer turns back to Chloe who is looking at him with her now familiar look of exasperation and affection.

"Shouldn't take too long, Detective. You'll be fine without me?"

"Yes, I'll be fine, Lucifer," she said blandly. "I might even do some filing."

"About time too, you can't avoid it forever, you know."

Chloe rolled her eyes as the two men left. Honestly, her partner at times.

Dan and Lucifer crack the case wide open and the perp is arrested and taken away.

It's perfectly natural for Dan to offer to buy them both some take out coffee afterwards. Lucifer agrees, pleased.

Dan goes to his favourite coffee place and parks around the corner, getting out by himself. He's made sure the sleeping pill is waiting in his pocket. He buys two coffees to go that are placed in a Styrofoam holder and when he leaves, no one watches when he sits down on a parking bench for a second. His hand holding the pill quickly passes over the lid of Lucifer's coffee, it looks like he's making sure the lid is secure. No one has noticed he has slipped the pill into the sipping part of the lid.

Dan hears the brief hissing sound of a tablet dissolving. Hopefully the taste of the coffee will mask the taste of the pill. He has to admire Father Kinley for his dedication and cunning.

When Dan gets back into the car, Lucifer accepts his coffee with a smile and starts drinking it down. Dan started drinking his own coffee, talking about the latest sports game last night. Keep it casual.

It's only when Lucifer puts the empty cup down that he makes gasping noises as the pill starts to kick in. It must be one special pill, Dan thought with satisfaction.

"Dan…I...what," Lucifer said in a slurred voice as he turned to look at Dan, colour visibly draining from his face and a flicker of panic in his dark eyes.

"I love my daughter and I'll keep her safe," Dan said pointedly. "Especially from the devil! You'll be staying away from Chloe, too."

Lucifer in horror could feel himself being dragged down into unconsciousness with a speed that he tried to fight against. Dan had betrayed him. Chloe, had the Detective been in on it too? He didn't know. She wouldn't, would she? Not his Detective. He couldn't think properly and in his anguish his mind reached out to the Detective instead of Amanadiel for help. Angels had been made to hear the prayers of Dad's pet project, the humans. But the link could go the other way sometimes.

He sent the words "Detective! Drugged… Dan," winging towards Chloe's mind and then Lucifer lost consciousness.

Dan waited a few minutes until he was sure that Lucifer was completely unconscious, then he rang Father Kinley.

"It's Detective Espinoza, I've got the package ready for delivery," he said calmly.

"Well done, my son. Bring him to the church immediately," Father Kinley replied with a note of elation in his voice, giving Dan further instructions on what to do.

Dan drove up to the church and parked around the back as he had been told to do. Father Kinley was sitting on a bench along with a younger priest, who looked visibly nervous. Dan got out of the car and went around to the passenger door. After opening it, he dragged Lucifer out of the car, grunting with the effort as he did so. He felt like a dead weight, that was for sure. Father Kinley hastened over to them, a look of grim delight on his face.

"Bless you, my son. We'll take it from here… you have done the Lord's work today," he said warmly as he and the other priest each take an arm of Lucifer and put it over their shoulders in preparation for dragging him away.

"Glad to be of help," Dan nodded, walking back to his car without looking back.

Lucifer woke with an aching head and feeling absolutely exhausted. Had he been on too many benders (sometimes a thing). Reality comes crashing back in when he realises he's bound and hanging from chains in a small, dimly room. His eyes flare red in anger at this humiliation and he pulls at the chains. However, another wave of weakness rushes over him… is it something about the chains themselves, or the drug that Douche had put in his takeout coffee?

Standing nearby is a grizzled looking priest, smiling kindly but with a fanatical gleam in his eyes. Oh, look, it's a pest- no, a priest.

"I only stay at five-star accommodation… I insist on an upgrade," he tried to say sarcastically, but his words sound slurred to his ears. He realises that his jacket and shirt are gone and he's only clad in his trousers. There was a powerful muscle relaxant in what he was given and he was concerned about the possibility that his wings might spontaneously appear before he can free himself. He will be able to free himself.

"Oh, this accommodation is quite temporary, Mr Morningstar – I can call you that?" the priest said mildly. "Soon you'll be back home in Hell where you belong. By any means necessary."

He turned to a table and took a black whip off it. "They talk about beating the devil out of someone, but why not give the devil a beating instead first? For the greater good."

The priest smiled.

Meanwhile, back at the LAPD at her desk, Chloe had clapped her hands to her ears in shock as she heard a voice with a familiar British accent speaking in panic inside her head. That was Lucifer, in trouble. Something about being drugged, and Dan?

What trouble is he in now! was her first thought. Then hard on the heels of that thought, was how the hell had she heard him at all? Her heart seemed to drop to the floor when she realised Lucifer had done it… because he was the real Lucifer, all this time. He had even said so all along, but she hadn't believed it. Or didn't want to believe it, because she was a sensible detective and single mother with no time for weird stuff in her life.

The Devil, here in Los Angeles owning a night club. Here, in the LAPD helping her solve crimes. Visiting her home, under the same roof as her daughter Trixie. Her daughter! She had let the actual devil into her home, she thought in horror.

She feels like going to fetch Trixie from school then getting on the first plane out of here. Anywhere, so long as it's far away. Europe? Australia? How cold is Antarctica? That's not quite a joke. It explains all the weird things about him, his super strength, the way bullets didn't phase him the first time they had worked together. I'm immortal, he had said with that amused smirk of his. He had the attitude of someone who had seen it all, done it all. It was probably true.

But Lucifer had helped her solve crimes and made her laugh sometimes. She has to admit she cared for him. Or was that just the result of tricks and manipulation on his part? Secretly laughing at her behind her back? Yet there were times he had saved her life – that was real. Sometimes he followed her around on cases like an overgrown puppy with those big dark eyes of his. He has charisma, but doesn't give off the evil aura that certain criminals she's dealt with have done. Or is Lucifer deliberately concealing that? Chloe doesn't know.

But in desperation, Lucifer had asked her for help.

She didn't know what to do – her urge to help Lucifer was warring with her bone deep desire to run away from an apex predator as fast as possible.

Feeling nauseous, Chloe got up and went to the bathroom to splash water on her face. She looked into the mirror and saw her reflection, paler than usual with barely-concealed fear in her eyes. She's no superhero. What does she do? She's not a churchgoer and isn't in the habit of praying to God, either.

Then her mind tried to short-circuit when she remembers all the times that Lucifer had complained about his oppressive father. 'Dad this… Dad that.' He was talking about God the whole time!

"What do I do?" Chloe whispered in near-panic. _"What do I do?" _

Then as she stared into the mirror, a sequence of events rolls out in front of her as if she's watching TV.

Chloe sees herself going back to her desk and carrying on with her work as if nothing had happened; she doesn't call or talk to anyone about Lucifer, she doesn't go anywhere or do anything in regards to him, either.

Dan comes in later with a swagger in his step and a smirk on his face, which he quickly conceals when he walks over to Chloe's desk. With a look of pasted concern on his face, he spins some story about Lucifer having to leave town in a hurry, due to some business concern of his elsewhere.

"I'm sure he'll turn up again soon, he usually does," Dan explains glibly.

Chloe sees herself bite her lip and look down for a moment, before looking back up at Dan.

"Yeah, you're probably right," she says quietly.

Days pass and Ella is visibly upset that Lucifer doesn't return. There's dark circles under her eyes… and under Chloe's, too.

Trixie is also upset that Lucifer has gone. Chloe puts her hand to her mouth when she sees Dan angry with his daughter one day when she asks out loud when Lucifer is coming back.

"Lucifer's gone and it's for everyone's good!" he snaps. The shadows that are near Dan look darker than usual.

"Dan, no!" Chloe says to herself in horror in the bathroom.

Then her perspective changes… she sees Lux closed down. Chloe sees crimes committed one by one that go unsolved for a while or not at all, because Lucifer wasn't present to help the LAPD. Or her. There is evil in LA that goes unchecked as a result.

Chloe sees herself looking gaunt at times. _I did the right thing,_ she hears herself mutter at times. _Didn't I?_

The shadows around her look darker as well at times.

Chloe feels hot shame wash over her. From a law and order perspective, which she had sworn an oath to uphold, by refusing to help Lucifer she had made things worse for the city of Los Angeles in the long run.

In the LAPD's eyes she had committed the cardinal sin of turning her back on her partner when he had needed help. Her father had died years ago, but Chloe could see his disappointed face in her mind now.

Furthermore, what was the point of wanting to pray to God if she had been so willing to turn her back on his own son, even a fallen one? All right, there's the whole angel-tossed out of heaven into hell-thing, but who's to say that even a fallen angel can't try and get back on his feet? Isn't that what he had been doing in his time with her at the LAPD?

Lucifer always looked interested when they both had a new case to work on, such emotion wasn't manufactured for some long game of his, she realised now. He punished those who were evil, he wasn't evil himself. Her cop instinct would have told her if that was the case.

No, the evildoer here was Dan, who had gone behind her back and betrayed Lucifer, thinking he was doing the right thing. Chloe's face looked grim. She would deal with him later, but first she had to contact Maze.

She couldn't help but flinch at the realisation that Maze was a demon. But she was Lucifer's second-in-command and the best person to talk to first. Chloe just had to put her feelings aside and deal with what needed to be done.

After leaving the bathroom, she ducked into a quiet interview room and got out her phone.

Maze answered her phone after a few rings, her voice crisp.

"It's Decker here. Lucifer is in trouble, Maze, I think Dan is responsible," Chloe replied in a low voice.

"What?" Maze snapped.

"I heard Lucifer, um, in my head just before asking for help. It's all true, I just didn't…" Chloe swallowed and went on. "But If I don't try and help him, I'd never forgive myself. I've come to you first."

There was a long moment of silence, then Chloe heard Maze laugh, but not unkindly.

"You're more than a pretty face, Decker. I've just dropped off a bounty and got all my best knives with me. Get that ass of yours to Lux and we'll get the idiot back."

The phone clicked off and Chloe put it in her pocket as she hurried out the door, heading for her car.

She headed to Lux as fast as she could, staying just under the speed limit. When she pulled into the garage there, Maze was there in her leather jacket waiting for Chloe, her booted foot tapping impatiently. She had a backpack on, which could hold anything from knives to a portable rocket launcher, Chloe thought.

Once Chloe got out of the car, Maze hurried over to her, a grim smile on her face and a pair of car keys in her hand.

"We'll take my car so I can track him," she said briskly.

"All right," Chloe agreed and followed Maze to her car. They both got in and Chloe had only just put her seatbelt on before they were off.

Once they were on the road, Chloe saw Maze tilt her head to one side as if she was listening, then the dark-headed woman hissed under her breath and turned left at the next intersection.

"You didn't run for the hills when you figured it out, Decker?" Maze questioned as the sleek car sped along the road. "I had a bet on you either way."

Chloe hesitated. Tell the truth, she thought. "I almost did," she confessed. "I've always wanted to help people; but today I really have to prove it, I guess."

Maze was silent for a second before speaking. "If it helps," she mused, "Lucifer is your biggest fangirl. It's always Detective does this, Detective does that. Detective loves her urchin. Detective kicks down doors just like in Weaponizer 2!"

Chloe blinked at that, not knowing what to say. But I'm no one special, she thought. How had she grabbed the attention of Lucifer, of all things?

"I hope we're in time," Chloe said with feeling.

"Why Dan, though?" Maze growled. "I'll be saving my best knife for him."

"I don't know," Chloe admitted. "He's got a lot of explaining to do."

Maze had gone down a side road that had a church with graceful spires.

"A church, what a surprise," Maze said grimly. "Lucifer's here all right. Let's go."

When the approach the church, they see a notice on the front door saying that it's temporarily closed for services due to a vermin infestation that's being dealt with.

Vermin! Chloe glowered at the notice. Two guesses as to whom the word 'vermin' was being applied to. Her skin crawled.

It's quiet when they enter the church and make their way swiftly through its corridors. When they turn down one particular corridor, they see a young priest standing guard in front of a wooden door.

"Bingo," Maze says with a sharp smile of anticipation, bringing out a knife.

Chloe brought out her badge. "LAPD!" she said grimly.

The priest looked at them both, blanched and then fled.

When they reached the door – which is locked – Maze kicked it open with inhuman speed.

Chloe drew her gun and followed Maze into the room. It's dimly lit by a dirty light bulb hanging from the ceiling.

A gasp escapes her when she sees that Lucifer is chained and hanging from the ceiling as well. There are heavy iron shackles around his wrists and ankles; a loop attached to each shackle has a metal chain running through them that ends up fastened to a hook on the wall. Lucifer is slumped in his chains, his head hanging down. He is only wearing trousers and the broad chest he loves to parade at times is red and raw looking as if he has been flogged. Chloe's horrified gaze is drawn to the large white wings extending from Lucifer's back, but they are spattered with blood and one is hanging at a horrible angle.

There's an elderly, black-robed priest standing by Lucifer who immediately grabs him by his hair and holds a knife to his throat upon seeing Chloe and Maze.

What makes a horrible situation even worse is the pleasant smile upon the priest's face.

"One step closer and he dies, children," the priest says calmly, as if he's discussing the weather. "But rejoice, for the devil would be going back to hell."

Maze hissed at him but stopped in her tracks.

"LAPD! Put the weapon down," Chloe snapped, feeling rage and heartache inside her at the way Lucifer has been treated, his cheeky smiles and almost feline grace nowhere to be seen.

The gaze of the priest swings to Chloe and she feels her skin crawl.

"You must be Detective Decker… see how the devil has ensnared you, that you come rushing to his rescue. Your ex-husband was right to be concerned for you."

Chloe's jaw tightened at the mention of Dan.

"Kidnapping and torture of a consultant with the LAPD, that's a felony," she said coldly. It is if I say so, she thought.

"I am doing God's work in cleansing evil!" the priest thundered at her.

"You're the evil in this room, not Lucifer," Chloe retorted. "He's a good man… and how is you torturing his own son God's work?"

At that moment, a loud crack and rumble of thunder was heard from the sky above, the threat in it sounding loud and clear to Chloe's ears.

The priest heard it too for he paled, his hand holding the knife dropping away from Lucifer's neck.

"No… it's God's work I do… I do," he muttered and then choked when one of Maze's knifes flew at him, embedding itself in his chest.

The priest fell to the floor and lay still. Chloe hurried up to him while Maze brought out a knife and started slashing at Lucifer's chains.

Chloe knelt and checked the priest's pulse, but it was too late. There was a look of profound horror on his face but Chloe couldn't find it in herself to be sorry.

She got up and went to help Maze who was carefully lowering Lucifer to the floor, his mistreated wings looking awkward and limp at his sides. A whine escaped him, his eyelids fluttering.

"Hold him still while I get the manacles off him," Maze said tersely, a look of worry on her face. "Damn it, Lucifer, I can't leave you alone for a second."

Trying to avoid his wings as best as she could, Chloe knelt and put an arm carefully around Lucifer's shoulders, trying to hold him steady. She blinks and she realises that tears are running down her face.

Maze meanwhile is methodically ripping each manacle off Lucifer as if they are nothing more than paper.

Lucifer's pain-filled eyes opened and focussed in bewilderment on Chloe.

"D'tective," he murmured. "You came? Douche… Douche betrayed me, D'tective."

He sounds so lost and confused that Chloe feels a pang inside of her.

"Yes, we both came," Chloe said soothingly. "Don't worry, we'll get you out of here."

"Monster… don't deserve…," he muttered, his head lolling to the side away from her.

"Stay with me! You're not a monster," Chloe said firmly. "Never to me, all right?"

With an effort, Lucifer turned his face back to hers, a ghost of a smile on his face. "D'tective," he said in a tone of wonder, a look of peace briefly passing over his face despite his injuries. His eyelids closed again.

"Decker, his wings," Maze said urgently to Chloe. "We can't leave with them showing to the world."

Lucifer's eyes opened again. "Wings… hide!" he muttered in agreement.

"Sit him up, careful now," Maze said swiftly. "Hold him from the front, his wings need space to retract."

Biting her lip and feeling a bit wide-eyed, Chloe carefully helped Maze in getting Lucifer to sit up. A gasp escaped him, but he didn't protest further. Chloe managed it so that she was kneeling in between his long legs, holding his shoulders steady. He trembled and he managed to put his arms around her, his eyes glazed with pain. It was a measure of how unwell he was that not a single teasing remark about seduction or the bedroom left his lips.

"Hold him steady… Lucifer, on the count of three," Maze said in a no-nonsense tone from behind as she carefully took hold of his good wing and started folding it inward slightly. "One, two, three!"

Lucifer's shoulders twisted and then the wing folded itself up somehow and vanished into his back, to Chloe's amazement.

He panted for a second.

"Now the other one," Maze muttered, a look of concern on her face as she moved towards the broken-looking wing. "When his wings are all right, usually they both go back in together."

Lucifer arched his back in pain and made a choked-off sob when Maze touched the wing.

"Shh… it's all right, I'm here," Chloe said soothingly, unable to ignore his distress. Devil and angel both… he needs her help right now as well as Maze's. "It's all right."

She found herself giving his forehead a kiss to comfort him, his dark hair all mussed and nothing like its usual groomed style.

"Lucifer," Maze said, low and insistent. "I know you can do this. One, two, three!"

Lucifer twisted his shoulders again and the wing flailed. He cried out in pain and then the wing lurched awkwardly and vanished into his back.

Maze moved hastily to the side as Lucifer slumped backwards on to the floor, pulling Chloe down upon him. A whine of distress escaped him and he immediately let his arms go from around her.

Chloe carefully rolled off him and got up, looking around for something warm to put on him. A small table off to the side has his jacket and shirt upon it, as well as a black leather whip with blood on it. Chloe glared at the offending item for a moment; she's going to take it away from this place and destroy it. It would be too painful for Lucifer to have his shirt put back on him right now, but she takes the jacket and returns to him, bending down to place it over his chest to keep him warm.

Lucifer's eyes had closed again and his breathing is shallower than she would like.

"Let's get out of here before I burn the place down," Maze said curtly. She walked over to the priest's body and bent to remove her knife from it, deliberately wiping the knife clean on his body and putting it away.

Chloe pulled out a small, folded up nylon bag from a pocket inside her jacket and opened it up, stuffing inside it Lucifer's shirt, the manacles, knife, whip and anything else that would show evidence of Lucifer having been here. She would probably have to replace his shirt, she thought ruefully.

Maze walked back to Lucifer and after bending down, she picked him up easily in her arms as if he weighed nothing.

At Chloe's surprised look she rolled her eyes. "Chips and dip, it's good for you. Lead the way, Decker."

Chloe nodded and walked out into the corridor, looking both ways. As luck would have it, they passed a short corridor that led to a side entrance and they were able to get back to Maze's car without undue attention. Chloe opened the back door and Maze carefully placed Lucifer inside, who had passed out again.

"I'll sit with him, Maze," Chloe said quickly.

Maze nodded and getting back behind the wheel, they headed back to Lux.

Chloe buckled herself in and put a protective arm around Lucifer to hold him steady, re-arranging the jacket over him. There is a pang inside of her of seeing his tear-stained face.

Maze spoke aloud. "You did all right back there, Decker. I won't forget that in a hurry. But Lucifer needs to heal, and he can't do that right now around you."

Chloe nodded, not taking offence. "Sure. Once we get back to Lux, I won't be resting until I've found Dan," she said grimly.

"Good hunting, girl."

When they return to Lux, Chloe gives Lucifer one last, concerned glance before she leaves him to Maze. Her world has been turned upside down today, but she does want Lucifer to get better.

When Chloe returned to work, she saw red on seeing Dan walking around as if nothing was wrong, though there was a smug look on his deceitful face.

She quietly grabbed a pair of handcuffs and after concealing them a bit from view, she walked up to Dan.

"Hey, Chloe…" Dan began but broke off on seeing the fury in Chloe's eyes. She quickly grabbed one of his arms and spun him around so she could handcuff his hands behind his back.

"Dan Espinoza, you're under arrest on charges of drugging and kidnapping of Lucifer Morningstar, Civilian Consultant with the LAPD," she said curtly. "He'll be fine though, thanks for asking."

At that, Dan lost it and started thrashing in panic. "Chloe, he's the devil! You don't understand, he's the devil! The devil!"

Dan started getting hysterical and some of the other officers rushed up to help Chloe restrain him. One of them had had a crush on Lucifer ever since he had fluttered his eyelashes coyly at her a while back and was outraged on his behalf.

"Take him away," Chloe said tiredly. Traitor though he was, Dan was still the father of her child and she didn't relish explaining to Trixie what she had done.

Dan ended up needing sedating and was put away in a cell in isolation.

When Chloe picked up Trixie from school, she pasted a smile upon her face for her daughter. I'll explain to her about Dan tomorrow, she thought wearily. What a day… her life had expanded to include both Heaven and Hell in a shocking way and she was still trying to process it all.

The next day at work is busy for Chloe. Trixie was understandably upset and confused about what her father had done, though she was also concerned for Lucifer.

"Will Lucifer get better soon?" Trixie asked her anxiously, her eyes big in her face.

"I'm sure he will, monkey," Chloe says kindly. She had sent a text to Lucifer, saying that she hoped he was feeling better.

She hasn't had a reply, though. It's only later that she realised a glitch meant Lucifer never got the text.

Chloe though is not held responsible in any way for the death of the priest – Father Kinley was his name – which tells of strings pulled behind the scenes on her behalf.

Dan ends up being put in a psychiatric ward for his own good, with Chloe having her hands full making sure he's somewhere that's safe and secure.

Finally, she's able to spare some time to go to Lux, having stopped to get something first. Chloe feels some apprehension at the thought of finding the penthouse deserted like once before, cloth sheets over everything and only a dusty silence present.

The elevator ride takes her up to the penthouse without any delay though, the doors opening for her to enter.

Chloe can't see any cloth sheets – that's a good thing – but there's a watchful silence around her as she steps into the room.

"Lucifer?" she calls out.

There's no answer and she started walking cautiously forward.

"Lucifer?" she tries again and this time hears the rustling of cloth from the direction of his bedroom.

Chloe felt some relief and made her way to the bedroom, still watching every step she took though. She can't afford to feel relaxed just yet… maybe Lucifer resented being vulnerable in such a way in front of her at the church. Maybe he would blame her, blame the LAPD for having been captured and handed over to Father Kinley.

She walked slowly up the steps to the bedroom; the light there is dim from the curtains having been drawn. When her eyes adjusted, she could see Lucifer sit up on his bed in a silky dressing gown and turn to face her in a fluid motion. His dark eyes glinted at her, but whether in threat or something else she wasn't sure. He looks more like himself again.

Then Lucifer's eyes focussed on what she was carrying, and he tilted his head at her in puzzlement.

"Flowers, Detective?" he said in a funny voice.

Chloe looked down at the large bouquet of flowers she had carried with her up to the penthouse, the blooms brightly coloured and elegant.

"Flowers, yes. I know a fruit basket is usually a good idea as a get-well present, but I saw these and they reminded me of you. As something that's full of colour and life, the first thing you see in a room," she added hastily. "In case you needed reminding. Or something."

Chloe knows she's babbling, but she can still hear his mutter of _monster_ in describing himself.

Lucifer doesn't say anything and the silence stretches out until it's almost unbearably awkward.

"It was a bad idea, I'll go now," she mutters and turns to leave. However, his next words stop her.

"No one gives me flowers," he says quietly and she hears the emphasis on the word 'me'. Meaning him, Lucifer. The Devil, fallen angel and ruler of Hell, every bad thing possible wrapped up in one package.

"I thought you were planning to run away," he says in a hollow voice. "People usually do, after."

Chloe turns back to him in surprise. "No, I'm not running away."

He laughed, and the sound of it was something nasty being turned upon himself.

"I'm the Devil, darling. As was made graphically clear the other day. Every time I think of making it clear to you who I really am, it often ends in my head with you running away as fast as you can."

Chloe narrowed her eyes at him. "You called out to me for help the other day. Even though you thought there was the risk I would run away instead?"

"You're the Detective," he says simply, as if this explains everything.

In a quieter voice Lucifer then said, "Did you plot with the Douche to betray me?"

He doesn't think Chloe did, remembering how she was there to help him in his pain and humiliation in the church. Remembers her soft kiss upon his forehead. But perhaps it could have been from regret after the fact… he has to know.

Chloe looked at him, wide-eyed. "No! Dan went behind my back. Handing you over to be… to be strung up like that… no. When I saw what that priest had done to you, I could never have been a party to something like that."

Lucifer feels relief at the truth in her voice, but he has to ask the next question.

"And then afterwards, did you feel like running away?"

Chloe was silent for a moment.

"You know, there was a moment I was tempted to run away, you're right," Chloe says quietly. She has to say it, or there will always be the unspoken doubt between them.

Lucifer's face goes very still and quiet, and Chloe hurries to continue. "Because I'm no one special. I'm just a detective, with no wealth or influence. I'm a single mother, living in my mother's house – what a joke! Why would you be interested in a nobody like me, unless I'm going to be tripped up when I don't see it coming. Again."

He rose to his feet quickly and she's reminded how tall he is. He crossed the distance between them quickly and glared down at her, sparks in his dark eyes.

"You're not nobody, Detective," he growled. "You're somebody spe– someone who came to help me. Who's brought me flowers. You're like the bloody sun to me, and I go a long time without seeing the sun down there. But I look at you and some of that sunshine you carry around like spare change…"

He tapped his chest roughly.

"…finds its way in here. Which is quite a feat, Detective."

Chloe blinked and they both stared at each other for a long, timeless moment. Then she offered him a tentative smile and held out the flowers to him again.

"Flowers," he said again in a tone of wonder as he took them from her. "Thank you."

"Are you feeling better?" she asked awkwardly.

Lucifer smiled and there was humour in his face now.

"You can't keep a devil down for too long, darling. Unless he wants you to," he added with a purr.

Chloe wrinkled her nose at him, feeling a bit more on an even footing with him again. He smirked back at her, then his face sobered.

"About the Douche," he began.

Chloe sighed and rubbed her forehead, feeling weary. "I arrested him and he confessed, in between screaming about your devil eyes. After losing Charlotte, this was probably the last straw. I – I had to put him somewhere safe. Where he's not a danger to himself or anyone else. I don't know how long he'll be in there."

Lucifer stared back at her, an equal weariness to hers on his face. "For your sake, I'm sorry, Detective."

Chloe gains some cold comfort in knowing that he means it.

She waved her hand awkwardly at him. "So, you have devil eyes as well as normal ones? Something that Dan obviously saw."

Lucifer said nothing for a second, looking oddly smaller and sadder to her gaze.

"I put the stars in the sky, Detective, but when I was booted out of home for rebelling, I fell like a falling star for a long time. Then I landed in fire when I got to hell. That's why people scream when they see my eyes or sometimes my other face, which is a leftover from that time. Hand me over to a sadistic priest who thinks he's doing Dad's work."

Chloe's face went pale. "Was there no one to help you… after you fell?"

Lucifer looked puzzled. "No, why? I looked like the monster then I'd been called."

"But you must have been in pain," she persisted.

"Yes. That was the plan," he said gently.

She swallowed. "I don't like the thought of you being in pain like that," she whispered.

There's a look of surprise on his face.

"Then that's the second gift you've given me today, Detective. I'm very lucky."

He reached out with his free hand and gently touched her cheek, Chloe reaching up to touch his hand.

"You're not a monster to me and I will never run away, do you understand?" she said fiercely.

Lucifer blinked at her and smiled. "Yes, Detective."

FINIS


End file.
